Joseph was a carpenter.

In this story, as Joseph has to take Mary with him to Bethlehem, he asks himself "What kind of carpenter would let his wife, about to have a baby, balance on a donkey for four days' journey?"

The traditional Christmas image has Mary riding a donkey the 70-plus miles to Bethlehem. The Gospel accounts don’t tell us.

The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem would take three days, maybe part of a fourth, and when they arrive they find no room in the inn.

Settling in a stable, Mary gives birth to Jesus, probably very soon. This would indicate she was a few days from delivery when they left Nazareth— all the more reason not to have her perched on a donkey.

This story has Joseph the carpenter doing the right thing.